Kiss My Face Early to Bed
Clove & Ylang Ylang Shower Gel

NO BHA and BHT
NO Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as "CI" followed by a five digit number
NO DEA-related ingredients
NO Dibutyl phthalate
NO Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
NO Parabens
NO Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)YES PEG compounds
NO Petrolatum
NO Siloxanes
NO Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
NO Triclosan

COST: MED

AVAILABILITY: MED

QUALITY: HIGH

DIRTY DOZEN: CONTAINS 1/12

I sent some to viewer (and friend) Hayley, and this is what she had to say about it:

I have only good things to say about the KMF Ylang Ylang shower gel. It's got to be one of the best aromatherapy products I've used. I use lots of aromatherapy oils and make my own moisturizers, body oils and room sprays. For a store bought product, this is a really good, and safe one. Ylang Ylang has to be the best stress relieving, & calming scent. It really relieved stress and tension I may have had. Ylang Ylang is a strong scent and can give headaches if it's too potent. KMF made it just right. I will definitely be using this one often.

And I agree.
I love the scent of KMF, and find this shower/bath gel very soothing. It's pretty thick, so you need very little and the bottle goes a long, long way.

This 'natural' shower gel does contain the PEG Compound Phenoxyethanol which, according to a warning issued by the FDA (2008) can "depress the nervous system, and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants". Sounds scary, but looking at products through the Dirty Dozen lens needs to happen with the knowledge that virtually all products contain them. Many 'natural' brands contain very few, while conventional products often can contain 6 or more. So the choice to us is clear: purchase the healthiest products available with as much information as possible.

That choice has really evolved for me over the years. As a young mother, I felt my choices dictated entirely by our immediate needs. I worked hard but earned little, so the things I purchased were generally the most inexpensive things I could find. I don't remember every thinking there was a CHOICE between cloth or disposable diapers. I was under so much stress that breastfeeding was a disaster, and I never considered the QUALITY of formula I fed my son. Those choices were made for me by the means I had available, while I was trying to deal with other more immediate issues.

Now, with the luxury of having some options I feel obligated to promote education through sharing my own experiences, but I also think it's important to acknowledge that we're all making different decisions based on our circumstances, beliefs, and means. Telling you to buy natural, organic, fair trade, or cruelty free isn't respectful of those things (and besides, who am I to be telling you what to do?). Instead, let's empower each other and share the benefit of our own knowledge.